Darwin International Airport: Difference between revisions
→External Links: edited |
→History: edited and expanded World War II history |
||
| Line 46: | Line 46: | ||
== History == |
== History == |
||
In 1919, when the [[England]] to [[Australia]] air race was announced, [[Parap Airfield|Darwin Airport]] was established in the suburb of [[Parap, Northern Territory|Parap]] to act as the Australian Terminal<ref name="Darwin">{{cite web | title = History of the Qantas Hanger | work = Northern Territory Gocvernment | publisher = Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts | url = http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/heritage/visit/qantas/history.html | accessdate = 2008-06-16}}</ref>. It operated as two airports, a civilian airport and a military field |
In 1919, when the [[England]] to [[Australia]] air race was announced, [[Parap Airfield|Darwin Airport]] was established in the suburb of [[Parap, Northern Territory|Parap]] to act as the Australian Terminal<ref name="Darwin">{{cite web | title = History of the Qantas Hanger | work = Northern Territory Gocvernment | publisher = Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts | url = http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/heritage/visit/qantas/history.html | accessdate = 2008-06-16}}</ref>. It operated as two airports, a civilian airport and a military field. |
||
During [[World War II]] RAAF Base Darwin served as a first refuge for retreating [[United States Army Air Force]] units from the [[Philippines]] in 1941. The USAAF [[Fifth Air Force|Far East Air Force]] and its subordinate commands, V Fighter and V Bomber established headquarters at Darwin in late December 1941. Later, the USAAF [[49th Fighter Group]] and other units were assigned to Darwin before moving north to forward bases in 1943. From 9 Aug 1944 to 20 Feb 1945 the USAAF [[380th Bombardment Group]] based four squadrons of long-range [[B-24 Liberator]] bombers at the base.<ref>Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924</ref> |
|||
In 1945 the Department of Aviation made the existing Darwin military airfield available for civil aviation purpose. As a result, the civilian airport at Parap was closed down and airport operations combined with the military airport<ref name="Darwin"/>. |
|||
Between 1950 and 1974 Darwin Airport acted as the primary domestic and international airport for the [[Northern Territory]] and a very important stop for airlines such as [[Qantas]]. After [[Cyclone Tracy]] hit Darwin and flattened the city, the airport was re-built. The passenger terminal has four [[aerobridges]], and was opened in December 1991. It replaced a facility that dated from the 1940s. |
Between 1950 and 1974 Darwin Airport acted as the primary domestic and international airport for the [[Northern Territory]] and a very important stop for airlines such as [[Qantas]]. After [[Cyclone Tracy]] hit Darwin and flattened the city, the airport was re-built. The passenger terminal has four [[aerobridges]], and was opened in December 1991. It replaced a facility that dated from the 1940s. |
||
Revision as of 21:13, 24 December 2008
Darwin International Airport | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Darwin International Airport terminal | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Northern Territory Airports[1] / RAAF Darwin | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Darwin, Northern Territory | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Marrara, Northern Territory | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 103 ft / 31 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 12°24′53″S 130°52′36″E / 12.41472°S 130.87667°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | Darwin International Airport | ||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2007) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source: NTArports Annual Report 2006-07[1] | |||||||||||||||
Darwin International Airport (IATA: DRW, ICAO: YPDN) is the busiest airport serving the Northern Territory and the tenth busiest airport in Australia. It is the only airport serving Darwin. The Airport is located in Darwin, Northern Territory's northern suburbs, 13 kilometres from the Darwin city centre, in the suburb of Marrara. It shares runways with the Royal Australian Air Force's RAAF Base Darwin.
Darwin Airport has an international terminal, a domestic terminal and a cargo terminal. Both of the passenger terminals have a number of shops and cafeterias.
The airport serves over 56,000 flights and 1,654,000 passengers per year[2]
History
In 1919, when the England to Australia air race was announced, Darwin Airport was established in the suburb of Parap to act as the Australian Terminal[3]. It operated as two airports, a civilian airport and a military field.
During World War II RAAF Base Darwin served as a first refuge for retreating United States Army Air Force units from the Philippines in 1941. The USAAF Far East Air Force and its subordinate commands, V Fighter and V Bomber established headquarters at Darwin in late December 1941. Later, the USAAF 49th Fighter Group and other units were assigned to Darwin before moving north to forward bases in 1943. From 9 Aug 1944 to 20 Feb 1945 the USAAF 380th Bombardment Group based four squadrons of long-range B-24 Liberator bombers at the base.[4]
In 1945 the Department of Aviation made the existing Darwin military airfield available for civil aviation purpose. As a result, the civilian airport at Parap was closed down and airport operations combined with the military airport[3].
Between 1950 and 1974 Darwin Airport acted as the primary domestic and international airport for the Northern Territory and a very important stop for airlines such as Qantas. After Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin and flattened the city, the airport was re-built. The passenger terminal has four aerobridges, and was opened in December 1991. It replaced a facility that dated from the 1940s.
Today
Darwin Airport has only one terminal for both domestic and international services. The terminal has several food outlets and shops, with duty-free shopping for international travellers. Flights are scheduled to destinations in the Northern Territory,all mainland Australian capital cities (except Canberra), as well as flights to Broome, Cairns and to international destinations such as Singapore, Dili (East Timor), and Bali. It is also an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle.[5]
During 2005-06 a total of 1,440,000 passengers passed through Darwin International Airport which consisted of 334,000 international passengers and 1,106,000 domestic passengers.[6]
During the 2006-07 period there was a total of 1,654,000 passengers which consisted of 372,000 international passengers and 1,282,000 domestic passengers up 35.6 per cent.
| Year | Total Passengers | International | Domestic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | 1,090,000 | 290,000 | 800,000 |
| 2002-03 | 1,085,000 | 210,000 | 875,000 |
| 2003-04 | 1,182,000 | 197,000 | 985,000 |
| 2004-05 | 1,386,000 | 281,000 | 1,105,000 |
| 2005-06 | 1,440,000 | 334,000 | 1,106,000 |
| 2006-07 | 1,654,000 | 372,000 | 1,282,000 |
Aircraft
Commercial passenger aircraft most commonly seen at Darwin International Airport include Airbus A319, A320 and A330, Boeing 717, 737 and 767, Beech 1900, Fokker F100, Dash 7, Dash 8 and Embraer Brasilia, and sometimes a Boeing 747.
Darwin International Airport is extensively used by a wide range of general aviation aircraft as well as military aircraft that use the adjacent RAAF Base Darwin.
Until they were withdrawn from service, Concorde made sporadic visits to Darwin as well, having one of the few runways long enough in Australia to handle them.
Future of Darwin Airport
Australian low-cost carrier, Jetstar Airways, has expressed a keen interest in developing Darwin Airport as a hub for its trips to Asia. With the close proximity to South-East Asia, Jetstar anticipates that it will be able to make flights using smaller aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 to fly anywhere within 4 to 5 hours from Darwin. [7] Most of the traffic on the routes will come from Southern Australian Cities. This will allow one-stop flights to less popular destinations. Destinations that have been considered include Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines and Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia. New Australian low cost carrier, Tiger Airways, has also expressed interest in making Darwin Airport its second hub.[8]
On November 8 2007, it was announced that it had reached agreements for a $100 million home and lifestyle centre in Darwin Airports Business Park, which will be developed by retail developer Ticor Developments. The centre is being built on eight hectares of airport land at the major intersection of Bagot Road and McMillans Road and is due for completion by the end of 2009. [9]
The Australian Infrastructure Fund (AIX) is set to be taking a $60 million expansion of Darwin International Airport to cater for growing passenger numbers. This will provide a 65 percent increase in terminal floor space. [10]
Operations
|
|
Airlines and destinations
| Destinations by Region |
|---|
|
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Airnorth Domestic | Broome, Elcho Island, Gove, Groote Eylandt, Kununurra, Maningrida, McArthur River, Perth | Domestic |
| Airnorth International | Denpasar/Bali [ends January 31[13]], Dili | International |
| Garuda Indonesia | Denpasar/Bali | International |
| Qantas Domestic | Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney
|
Domestic |
Qantas
|
International | |
| Skywest | Broome, Perth | Domestic |
| Vincent Aviation | Groote Eylandt, Cairns | Domestic |
| Virgin Blue | Brisbane | Domestic |
References
- ^ "Welcome to Northern Territory Airports". Airport Development Group. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ PDF file "2006-07 Annual report". Darwin International Airport. 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ a b "History of the Qantas Hanger". Northern Territory Gocvernment. Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924
- ^ Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites
- ^ Annual 2005-06 Report
- ^ "Jetstar boosts services from Darwin airport". Fairfax. The Australian. 2008-08-02. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ Creedy, Steve (2007-12-22). "Jetstar plan for Darwin springboard into Asia". News Ltd. The Australian. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ "$100 Million Home Centre Development to Excite Shoppers" (PDF). Northern Territory Airports. 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ "AIX announces Darwin airport expansion". Fairfax. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ "Australian Domestic Airline Activity" (PDF). BTRE Aviation Statistics 131. Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics. 2008. pp. p. 10. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
{{cite web}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Domestic airline activity". Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. 2008-04. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2008/09/18/5979_ntnews.html
- ^ a b "Qantas Announces International Schedule Changes". Qantas. 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ a b http://www.jetstar.com/jetMail/2008_09/Brisbane-Bali_Launch/index.html